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It's never bad to pay employees more

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It may never be bad, but it doesn't happen for nothing. You either have to bring more people to the park or charge more for tickets.

Gonna be extra disappointing now when today's announcement is just them winning that #1 theme park award again

Well...

Yep. Extra disappointing.

Whoa, that's a lot more than what I was expecting. I'm trying to process this. So we're getting a new land, new updates throughout the park, and a massive new coaster with indoor/outdoor sections? So like an improved Big Bear (or what Big Bear was supposed to be)? That's incredible.

That's what I'm seeing. And with Terry Wayne Sanders wearing aviator gear, Im hoping for a flying coaster. The only negative thing I'll say is the ride name is too close to Fire In the Hole.

From the official SDC Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1075465731274846&set=a.695023275985762

SILVER DOLLAR CITY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OZARK MOUNTAINS, Mo. (April 2025)
IT'S TIME TO UNLEASH THE LEGEND OF OZARK HOLLOW
A new chapter is beginning in the heart of the Ozark Mountains.
Silver Dollar City is proud to unveil its largest expansion in park history: Ozark Hollow — an immersive new land filled with thrills, storytelling, and heart-pounding adventure. The centerpiece: Fire in the Ozarks, a record-breaking family coaster that takes guests deep into the untamed wilds.
And that's just the beginning.
"We are writing a bold new future for Silver Dollar City," said Brad Thomas, President of Silver Dollar City Attractions. "This land connects to the spirit of adventure that runs deep in this region, in this park, and in the hearts of our guests. From the soaring heights of the mountains to the mystery of underground caves, the Ozarks come alive in Ozark Hollow — plus handcrafted dining, frontier shopping, and never-before-seen shows."
This long-awaited addition has been carefully crafted to honor the heritage of the Ozarks while offering new experiences to all ages. The new coaster features multiple launches and indoor-outdoor thrills through mountain caverns and misty valleys.
Along with the opening of Ozark Hollow, Silver Dollar City is enhancing guest areas throughout the park, increasing shade, updating pathways, and expanding dining. All of this is just the beginning — the future is blazing bright for Silver Dollar City and generations to come.

I've also been wondering about how much longer Outlaw Run will be a wood coaster. The pothole at the bottom of the drop can be brutal, and the general public thinks its a "rough" ride. Personally, I like how it runs, but the ride struggles with ridership because of it's image. Plus, there have been reports of a car having a rollback on the Barrel roll, caused by the pothole. Considering how Lightning Rod had its track turned into IBox, I cant help but wonder if HFEC is considering that option. Outlaw Run is reportedly a maintenance nightmare, and I'm sure IBox would help, but then the coaster would lose it's uniqueness and world records. IIRC it still holds the wood coaster inversion record. I also think that SDC knows this and is trying to keep it a wood coaster. They could convert just the bottom part of the drop to IBox, as that is the area with the most trouble, but then the technicalities come in. Is it a full circuit wood coaster? Should it win "wood" coaster awards? LR had these issues before fully becoming a steel coaster.
I really hope that SDC can either keep it fully wood, or convert only the bottom of the drop to steel. The ride is my #1 because the wood track makes it feel "out of control." Unironically, velocicoaster might be my new #1 if outlaw run becomes steel.
If they have to convert it, so be it. But man would that be disappointing.

I always thought Outlaw Run struggled with ridership because of its location. It's so far off the beaten path. They really need to connect the loop through the dead end where the old Fire In The Hole is.

IF this ends up being a Giga or Hyper Coaster, it will be the first in history to be labeled a "family attraction"

Did I miss something? Is it confirmed to be a "family attraction"?

@TPF just posted this video with some info. I'm perplexed about the Thunderation clue.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pfzH9qvHb74

I'm looking forward to pics of the new plaza on opening day. Wish I could be there.

Mixed emotions surrounding an announcement that felt like a mere formality from day one. While some aspects of a dedicated resort seem appealing, the building rendering feels little more than a scaled down cousin to DW's DreamMore, with a hint of Disney's Grand Floridian sprinkled in for good measure. I'm sure it will be well done and ridiculously overpriced like everything else is now.

Hard to know what the master plan holds, but as others have pointed out, it seems counterintuitive to not be prioritizing significant park expansion and infrastructure in the short term. The huge crowds in a smaller park have grown to a point that's really starting to dilute what used to be the park's best feature – charm. Attendance numbers certainly don't seem to indicate people being turned off and turning away due to overcrowding, but it would be hard to argue that park volume isn't contributing to a far from ideal experience for many patrons at this point. It's just hard to understand why HFE wouldn't want to start expanding the footprint of the park now to help thin the herd and give people new places to explore.

The last 10 years at SDC have netted Fireman's landing, Mystic River Falls, Time Traveler and Fire in the Hole. An investment totaling less than $90 and all within the existing footprint. I'm sure the park will look dramatically different by 2034, but it will be very interesting to see how $500 million gets "spread out" beyond the cost of resort construction alone.

I think the new festival area next year is expected to help with the crowds somewhat. But if that isn't enough, I'm sure other steps will be taken. It's a 10 year plan, so we must be patient.

They'll never go back to the 'Disney' music for sure, but there's still room for improvement. The bigger issue is that they lost a lot of their best performers. It's still a timeless show and story, but they will have to keep working at it to get close to where they were back in the glory days.

Looking at satellite maps, it looks like they have room to double the plaza area from what currently exists, but that would require bumping out to the road. Looks like they'll also have to lose a few more trees...

The big announcement is only a week away. One has to assume part of the reason behind the plaza enhancement is to make more room for the bigger and bigger crowds that will come as SDC turns into a multi-day resort destination. I'm almost surprised there wasn't more announced in this regard. In recent years, they have made a number of big redevelopments of areas of the park to accommodate larger crowds. The areas around Time Traveler, Mystic River, and the furniture factory are all unrecognizable from a decade ago. I guess without really bulldozing the rest of the park there aren't many other pinch points left to "fix" other than the entrance itself. Surprised that Ozark Marketplace and the Hospitality House are still sticking around, but I would be surprised if they are still here in five years.

Another thing not mentioned in this year's announcements: anything related to the old FITH space...

If the train tracks weren't there, they could make the new plaza start and blend in from where the old Toboggin ride structure is. I'm talking that area between the where the current path is, to the side of Red Gold Theater.  Is the area behind the plaza (next to the highway) buildable? Seems like I remember a steep decline to the highway.

They have to do something with the old FITH building or remove it, and they need to connect Hill Street to Outlaw Run. Also, they should link the two dead end roads at Wildfire and Powerkeg together.

The new plaza is fully across the tracks - no need to remove the Waterboggan tower. 
It will not include new rides, just food booths, decorations, and a stage.  Like Shave said, hopefully it won't look like a parking lot when they're finished.  The new Christmas tree will be a live fir. 

https://www.silverdollarcity.com/theme-park/festivals/

The current path to the plaza has to cross the train tracks it looks like. Any idea if this plaza area will always be open? Or just for special events? Will there be open access from all sides including fire in the hole, and grand expo? IMO they need to loop all these dead ends they have created around the park.

The plaza is an expansion of the existing pumpkin-event area behind FITH/Grand Expo. This will make it the main space for big events such as the mentioned fireworks and drone show. The main square is no longer big enough for anything that draws a crowd. It's been dangerous for years during the "tree lighting" since you can't get out of the park unless they have the back gate open by the candy shop - even getting to that can be a challenge!

I just hope it won't still feel like a parking lot when it is done.

It's great that they are finally adding the second tree back there too. We speculated about that when they first opened that space up years ago. Hopefully that will help spread crowds a bit.

I'm a little perturbed about them cutting the bluegrass and gospel/country music festivals short. The new spring fest sounds weak. I think they are spending their performers budget this year on Rhonda Vincent coming in for Christmas. To be fair, that sounds like it will be awesome.

Do you think they will take out the old toboggin structure and use that area for the plaza also?  Also, won't the train have to go right through this plaza?  Where did you see about a 2nd Christmas tree?  Any knowledge of new rides for the "doubling" of Grand Expo?

Whos to say they won't just put a giant fence in front of the old FITH area so you can't see it?

There are a lot of people in the area, and they have good access due to the turnpike, but I still say that without a major IP or something to draw people, it's just a random big theme park with a generic americana theme in the middle of nowhere.

Their main hope of creating a draw is simply building enough themselves to get big, but I still don't see where the $2 billion is going to come from...

Are we already forgetting how SDC came about and put Branson on the map??? Nobody would have started any show in Branson if SDC wasn't here because shows alone don't draw people in.

This park is just outside Vinita, 45 minutes from Tulsa, on Route 66, next to the I-44 Turnpike, and West of Grand Lake. That is NOT the "middle of nowhere"! Route 66 attracts thousands to millions of people every year from all around the globe and brings in more tourists than anything else in Oklahoma.

As they have said, the company already has the money.

Plus, like History Buff said, everyone is tired of Disney and their Woke ideology. We need more companies who are against the woke regime and the creators of this park have already said that they are extremely anti-woke.

There is absolutely no way this park won't thrive because of all these factors!

I'm seeing a lot of red flags with this project. 1st, how is the park fully funded? According to sources, Gene Bicknell's net worth is estimated to be around $240 million. The press releases say the park is all privately funded from one source, Gene. Where is 2 billion dollars coming from? Also, Gene is 91 years old. What happens if he dies before this is complete? Other little things really make me question this operation. Things like cheap signage for the RV park construction. A 2 billion dollar operation is using PVC pipe and zip ties for signage?

I'm trying to get an idea of how the new fire in the hole district will be accessible from the existing park. I know one end will be accessible from the fireman's landing but will it also be connected to Grand Exposition?

The connection will be where the little kiddie swings are currently. You can see the new location for that ride has already been prepared next to Lake Silver if you go into the Landing.

They won't be adding a pathway to GE - yet. Looks like they could easily add one, but they haven't done much with that back area yet. It is not part of the Christmas event this year, but I would wager they will activate that space more in the coming years. They really need to add some tree islands or something to it - I don't like that it feels like a parking lot.

Ugh.  So the new FITH will be another dead end street just like Grand Expo, the original FITH, and Outlaw Run streets. SDC really needs to work on connecting all the dead end streets together.  It would really help the flow of things.